Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK — A legislative committee advanced legislation Thursday to require that the state flag be flown at half-staff for three days after an Arkansan in the military is killed in action.

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A former Van Buren police officer who pleaded guilty to embezzling almost $51,000 in drug seizure funds was sentenced to five years in federal prison Thursday.

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The rare event is worth noting: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a blunt warning to Republicans Thursday: Their party must regain lost supporters plus blacks, Hispanics and voters on both coasts — or risk becoming a permanent minority party with a limited power base. “We’re all concerned about the fact that the very wealthy and [...]

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The special city committee considering what to do with the old Ray Winder Field is meeting this morning. It has heard from the Little Rock Zoo about its desire to use the land for expansion; UAMS, whose immediate plans call for more acres of surface parking in what once was greensward, and a group that [...]

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LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas government officials have had to wait on Washington, D.C., for decisions before, but never like this.

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A $5 million appropriation bill for the War Memorial Stadium Commission passed with almost no notice yesterday. The vote was 92-2. Note I say "almost." Rep. Steve Harrelson of Texarkana, at his Under the Dome Blog, had something pithy to say: And yes, as I always do, I voted against the War Memorial Stadium Commission appropriation. If [...]

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There’s no truth, for now, in a rumor Thursday night that President Obama was coming to ice-ravaged regions including Arkansas. White House staff late Thursday evening couldn’t answer specific questions but were able to confirm that the president has no travel plans. The rumor was serious enough to make it into the Morning News with some [...]

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The governor’s helicopter won’t land at Fayetteville’s Drake Field until 10:30 a.m. or so thanks to fog in Little Rock. All other stops on his flyover of ice storm-stricken north Arkansas are also delayed by two hours.

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As a final reminder, Blake’s Think Tank blogger Blake Rutherford and I will be talking new media and politics with the Arkansas chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators at a lunch meeting today at the Little Rock Club downtown (11:45). All the details are here. I only mention this one last time as it [...]

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I’m presenting one of the two bills on today’s House calendar. HB1033 is a cost-saving measure, which gives the Supreme Court Reporter the authority to publish and distribute opinions in the format directed by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. It will also require that the reports be made publicly available for [...]

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